Following cries from terror victim widows willing to have their loved ones' killers released in exchange for Gilad Shalit, Terror Victims Association head Zeev Rapp, who also lost daughter to terror furiously opposes notion

Daniel Edelson |Published: 01.23.09 , 12:27

Chairman of the Terror Victims Association Zeev Rapp was enraged by reports that widows of terror victims were willing have the killers of their loved ones go free in exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

"I'm in contact with many families and this support could spark a horrible uprising. Dozens of families will rebel against it," Rapp told Ynet on Wednesday.

"Anyone who supports this move, doesn't understand the grief they are causing us. The memories of our loved ones call out from beneath the earth for revenge. Our hearts and souls are bleeding; enough with these bleeding hearts' ideas."

Rapp's daughter, Helena, was killed 17 years ago on the Bat Yam shore. Her murderer is in prison in Israel, and the bereaved father said he will not have him released under any conditions.

"If my daughter's killer is freed, they will actually be destroying my family, and I will destroy other families. I will kill him before he leaves Israel's borders."

According to Rapp, Minister Rehavam Ze'evi's widow Yael, who has also expressed her support of releasing Palestinian prisoners with blood on their hands, is doing wrong by her own husband's belief.

"He would not have agreed to have his killers freed. I have a lot of respect for him; he came to my daughters funeral and spoke over her grave. May his wife forgive me, but she does not represent his position.

"She should only express her own opinion, and not speak for everyone. It's easy for her to talk, she is not a young woman, and my daughter was 15-and-a-half when she was killed. Gandhi (Ze'evi) was killed because of his position. My daughter was killed because she belonged to the Jewish people.

"All these bleeding hearts are looking to make headlines. Let them say, let's release all of them and give Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) a chance to run the country. We saw what Samir Kuntar said a moment after his release: 'I will be back'."

Rapp expressed his bewilderment at how Gilad Shalit's release was not set as one of Operation Cast Lead's goals,
"and now, suddenly it comes up again and everyone is trying to be a bleeding heart. I am willing to accept one-on-one release, a life for a life.

"I am willing to see my daughter's killer released for Shalit, but two killers? This is the cruelest kind of extortion. A man that was tried for his actions should not get a reward. It creates an absurd situation in which every killer that comes to commit a terror attack knows he is on probation, that there is a chance he will return. Because of bleeding hearts, we are giving out prizes to child killers."

'Freeing killers means death of more Jews'

Stanley Boim, father of David Boim, who was killed in a terror attack at the entrance to Beit El nine years ago also opposed the release of prisoners with blood on their hands.

He recalled that one of his son's murderers, who wasn't caught at the time, later carried out a suicide attack in a Jerusalem pedestrian mall.

"It's not a matter of revenge or deterrence, but the prevention of the murder of more people. The release of murderers means the killing of more Jews in the Land of Israel.

"Everything should be down for Gilad Shalit's release, but through pressure on Hamas and not on our government. They are the ones holding him and the pressure should be on them and not on us."

Efraim Kastiel, the father of Liat, who was killed along with her friend by a Palestinians some 10 years explicitly stated, "I will not, under any circumstances, allow my daughter's low-life killer to be released. Why should he be allowed out?

"My heart aches for Gilad Shalit, but I just couldn't handle it emotionally. My heart won't allow me, I just can't. This murderer has ruined our lives, with all the sympathy for the Shalit family, not at the expense of my daughters."